E-mail us

November 30, 2007

Talk about Wednesday night’s debate now centers almost exclusively on the plant of several questions from Democratic presidential campaign supporters. One came from a member of Hillary Clinton’s steering committee. Others came from supporters of John Edwards and Barak Obama. CNN’s failure to spend even ten minutes researching the videos they chose is causing even moderate political observers to lambaste the network.

Without access to CNN’s internal communications we will never know if it was incompetence or bias which led to these questions being used. Either is inexcusable for an event so public and so important to our free and fair electoral process.

The Source suggests that “Questiongate” is more of a threat to a moral, honest broadcast media than the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” or various uses of obscenities on award shows. As such, we urge the FCC to immediately begin an investigation into CNN’s role in deciding which questions to use in this and other debates. We call on CNN to release all documents which pertain to internal discussions regarding those choices, so that the viewing public can decide for themselves if CNN was more than just negligent.

Ultimately, if CNN is proven to be either negligently or willfully skewing debate questions, they should be heavily fined. Such an action would speak loudly to CNN, and any other broadcast entity that may act similarly.

November 29, 2007

Recent polls have been getting a lot of press as the stakes get higher and an inevitable shakeup occurs in both Democrat and Republican primaries. Today, The Source takes a closer look at those polls, and the reaction they are generating.

A Rasmussen poll released today has political commentator Dick Morris saying hard charger Mike Huckabee “can win Iowa.” Morris makes the case that Huckabee is a true fiscal conservative, firing back at columns by Bob Novak and others.

In highlighting a new Florida poll that has Giuliani in first and Huckabee in second, The Lone Star Times talks of his taking his campaign “straight to the people” “with very little money” and “stunning success.”

ABC News calls Huckabee’s surge in Iowa “remarkable in size and intensity alike.” They point out that “Huckabee's support in Iowa has gone from 8 percent in an ABC News/Washington Post poll in late July to 24 percent now, up threefold.” The ABC analysis goes on to show Huckabee leads with several traditional republican and conservative groups.

In a very good statistical analysis, Forbes calls Huckabee’s rise “significant.” This analysis of national polls shows that, if statistical rates stayed the same, “Huckabee would surpass Thompson in popularity before the end of the year—on Dec. 13.”

Nationally, a look at the daily Rasmussen poll over the last few months tells the tale. On October 1st, Thompson had the lead with 25% of the vote. Rudy Giuliani was in second with 23%. Romney, McCain and Huckabee followed with 13%, 10% and 6% respectively. This would be the peak for Thompson and, at least initially, Giuliani benefited by building a strong lead. Then, Giuliani also peaked around mid-October, at about 30%. Through late October Romney, McCain and Huckabee pretty much stayed within a few points of where they started. Then, the polls start to change. Giuliani drops into the low and mid 20s. Thompson falls into the low and mid teens. The benefactor is Huckabee who doubles his original percentage and now sits in the mid-teens and begins to show in third place nationally for the first time. While national polls mean less, this trend seems to echo what is happening in key early states.

November 27, 2007

The Source believes it is time to take a strong look at Mike Huckabee for President. Huckabee, who just a few months ago was considered a mid-pack candidate at best, is beginning to show new strength, especially in a few early states that will set the stage for the longer run.

In several recently released polls in Iowa, Huckabee has surged into second place. He is averaging over 18 % in late October and early November polls, up over tenfold from his numbers just ten months ago. In the latest NYTimes/CBS poll, Huckabee has all but caught Mitt Romney with 21% of the vote, and is separating himself from the rest of the field.

Huckabee has been strong in parts of the South Carolina contest for a while. In an April straw poll vote in three South Carolina counties, Huckabee finished first, second and fourth. Now, he has doubled his statewide percentage and is climbing fast. Huckabee is also starting to climb in other early primary states like Nevada, Florida and Michigan.

That a conservative candidate is climbing in the polls should not surprise most political observers. History shows that when conservative voters coalesce around a candidate, that candidate stands a good chance to make it through the first round of primaries and gain momentum from there. Both nationally and in Missouri, many conservatives have been waiting for the right candidate to support.

Eventually, those conservatives tend to rally against the establishment candidate. What makes this year interesting is that there are two establishment candidates, Romney and Giuliani. Neither have solid conservative credentials and Giuliani finished a poor eighth in a Family Resource Council straw poll. Only one of these will likely come out of the early primaries with any strength. As other candidates drop out, and as one establishment leader weakens, where those votes go may well decide the election.

With several well-funded candidates at the top right now, the question is whether Huckabee can hang on until Super Tuesday, February 5th. The Source thinks he can. If he finishes second in Iowa, as it seems he might, that will give him a boost into the next round of primaries and caucuses (Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan.) If he wins Iowa, and he well may, that gives him momentum even into Nevada, South Carolina and Florida. In either scenario, Huckabee would be strong enough for Missouri Republicans to give him a much closer look come February 5th.

Speaking of Missouri, The Source is hearing there is a groundswell of conservative support building for Huckabee here. We have seen an independent survey showing Huckabee with as much as twenty percent support amongst grassroots Republicans in the state. We have even heard of some leaders who initially signed on with other candidates who are considering a switch to Huckabee. The next few weeks will certainly give Missouri voters an idea of just how strong he can be.

November 26, 2007

The Source is hopeful that the Missouri University Curators have a few questions for former Sprint CEO Gary Forsee before he is chosen President of the University of Missouri system. While others are concerned by the thought of a businessman heading a university, The Source actually thinks a businessman would be a good choice. Our concern with Forsee is, appropriately, more political.

Like it or not the head of a university system, especially the University of Missouri system at this point in time, is in a sensitive political situation. The president will have a say in how taxpayer dollars are spent, including decisions about construction, curriculum and research. But what do we know about Forsee’s politics? With a few exceptions he has been fairly quiet about his political beliefs. The only place to look for a clue is his contribution history.

While Forsee (and his wife) have tried to spread money around to politicians in both parties, it turns out he has given significant levels to local and national Democrats over the past few years. A quick search shows dozens of donations to local Democrats including Dennis Moore, Emmanuel Cleaver, and of course, Kay Barnes’ current congressional bid. In addition to those, Sherry Forsee supported ex-congresswoman Karen McCarthy. Nationally the Forsees have contributed to Democrats such as Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Mark Pryor, Edward Markey, Daniel Akaka, Jim Moran, Max Cleland and others. Businessmen supporting incumbents is nothing new to politics, however, supporting challengers or giving to only one party is. Recently Forsee has been doing both. Significantly, while at Bell South, prior to his recent Sprint tenure, almost all Forsee’s contributions went to Democrats. In all, The Source counted at least $15,000 in contributions to congressional and other national Democrats.

Locally, Forsee has a similar record. The Forsees contributed over a thousand dollars to each of Governor Blunt’s potential opponents in 2004, Claire McCaskill and Bob Holden.

While Forsee’s contributions alone don’t tell us his politics, they are the best sign we have to date. Hopefully we will learn more before any potential appointment.

November 24, 2007

Kay Barnes reiterated her support for Kansas last night in an interview with WHSB’s Chris Hernandez.

"When pressed with a follow-up question that could put her political career at risk, Barnes admits she'll cheer for the Jayhawks. ’I think your undergraduate school is always the one you have allegiance to,’ she said."

"Memo to Kay Barnes… When running for a Missouri Congressional seat in a tight race, it might not be prudent to go out of your way to promote one of your state’s biggest sports rivals. If you can’t support your home-state team maybe you ought to decline to provide a quote. Keep this in mind in case the two schools meet again in March for the Big 12 basketball tournament in your new arena."

KU coach Mark Mangino, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Jayhawk flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity, Mark," said God. "This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here." Mark felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a 3-story mansion with a Black & Gold sidewalk, a 50 foot tall flagpole with an enormous MIZZOU logo flag, and in every window, a Tigers emblem . Mangino looked at God and said "God, I' m not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was a great coach and turned KU football around." God said "So what's your point Mark?" "Well, why does Pinkel get a better house than me?" God chuckled, and said "Mark, that's not Gary 's house, it's mine."

Did you hear about the big power outage at the KU student union? Forty Jayhawks were stuck on the escalator for 3 hours.

Q: Why do KU students hang their diplomas from their rearview mirrors? A: So they can park in the handicapped spot.

Q: Why doesn't KU have ice on the sidelines? A: The guy with the recipe graduated.

Q: How many KU freshmen does it take to change a light bulb? A: None, it's a sophomore level class.

Q: What do you call a person from KU in a three piece suit? A: The defendant.

Q: What's the difference between a litter of puppies and KU fans? A: Eventually puppies grow up and stop whining.

Q: What does the average KU player get on his SAT's? A: Drool.

Coach Mangino is only dressing 10 players for the Jayhawks game against MU. The rest of the team will get dressed by themselves.

Q: Why did they have to cancel the Christmas play at KU last year? A: They couldn't find 3 wise men and a virgin.

Did you hear about the KU athlete that won a Gold Medal in the Olympics? He was so happy, he had it bronzed.

Q: How do you run a small business? A: Start with a large business and put a KU grad in charge.

Q: What does it say on the bottom of Coke bottles in Kansas ? A: Open other end.

November 23, 2007

"More than 17,600 registered users are hashing out every detail of the game, including the coin toss. They berate anyone associated with the Jayhawks, including former Kansas City mayor Kay Barnes, who picked KU to beat MU in the Kansas City Star."

Each year at this time school children all over America are taught the official Thanksgiving story, and newspapers, radio, TV, and magazines devote vast amounts of time and space to it. It is all very colorful and fascinating.

It is also very deceiving. This official story is nothing like what really happened. It is a fairy tale, a whitewashed and sanitized collection of half-truths, which divert attention away from Thanksgiving's real meaning.

The official story has the pilgrims boarding the Mayflower, coming to America and establishing the Plymouth colony in the winter of 1620-21. This first winter is hard, and half the colonists die. But the survivors are hard-working and tenacious, and they learn new farming techniques from the Indians. The harvest of 1621 is bountiful.

The Pilgrims hold a celebration, and give thanks to God. They are grateful for the wonderful new abundant land He has given them. The official story then has the Pilgrims living more or less happily ever after, each year repeating the first Thanksgiving. Other early colonies also have hard times at first, but they soon prosper and adopt the annual tradition of giving thanks for this prosperous new land called America.

The problem with this official story is that the harvest of 1621 was not bountiful, nor were the colonists hard-working or tenacious. 1621 was a famine year and many of the colonists were lazy thieves.

In his History of Plymouth Plantation, the governor of the colony, William Bradford, reported that the colonists went hungry for years, because they refused to work in the fields. They preferred instead to steal food. He says the colony was riddled with "corruption," and with "confusion and discontent." The crops were small because "much was stolen both by night and day, before it became scarce eatable."

In the harvest feasts of 1621 and 1622, "all had their hungry bellies filled," but only briefly. The prevailing condition during those years was not the abundance the official story claims; it was famine and death. The first "Thanksgiving" was not so much a celebration as it was the last meal of condemned men.

But in subsequent years something changes. The harvest of 1623 was different. Suddenly, "instead of famine now God gave them plenty," Bradford wrote, "and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many, for which they blessed God." Thereafter, he wrote, "any general want or famine hath not been amongst them since to this day." In fact, in 1624, so much food was produced that the colonists were able to begin exporting corn.

What happened?

After the poor harvest of 1622, writes Bradford, "they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop." They began to question their form of economic organization.

This had required that "all profits & benefits that are got by trade, working, fishing, or any other means" were to be placed in the common stock of the colony, and that, "all such persons as are of this colony, are to have their meat, drink, apparel, and all provisions out of the common stock." A person was to put into the common stock all he could, and take out only what he needed.

This "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" was an early form of socialism, and it is why the Pilgrims were starving. Bradford writes that "young men that are most able and fit for labor and service" complained about being forced to "spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children."

Also, "the strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes, than he that was weak." So the young and strong refused to work, and the total amount of food produced was never adequate.

To rectify this situation, in 1623 Bradford abolished socialism. He gave each household a parcel of land and told them they could keep what they produced, or trade it away as they saw fit. In other words, he replaced socialism with a free market, and that was the end of famines.

Many early groups of colonists set up socialist states, all with the same terrible results. At Jamestown, established in 1607, out of every shipload of settlers that arrived, less than half would survive their first 12 months in America. Most of the work was being done by only one-fifth of the men, the other four-fifths choosing to be parasites. In the winter of 1609-10, called "The Starving Time," the population fell from 500 to 60.

Then the Jamestown colony was converted to a free market, and the results were every bit as dramatic as those at Plymouth. In 1614, Colony Secretary Ralph Hamor wrote that after the switch there was "plenty of food, which every man by his own industry may easily and doth procure." He said that when the socialist system had prevailed, "we reaped not so much corn from the labors of thirty men as three men have done for themselves now."

Before these free markets were established, the colonists had nothing for which to be thankful. They were in the same situation as Ethiopians are today, and for the same reasons. But after free markets were established, the resulting abundance was so dramatic that the annual Thanksgiving celebrations became common throughout the colonies, and in 1863, Thanksgiving became a national holiday. Thus the real reason for Thanksgiving, deleted from the official story, is: Socialism does not work; the one and only source of abundance is free markets, and we thank God we live in a country where we can have them.

November 21, 2007

Those of us who live in the Kansas City metropolitan area already know. We live it every day. Kansas City, MO compared to Kansas City, KS. Overland Park vs. Lee’s Summit. Bi-State tax battles. Regional rail plan fights. Threats of professional teams crossing state lines. It matters to people.

It matters so much that the game Saturday night really is about more than a shot at a college football national championship. It is even about more than bragging rights for college students and alumni. It is about the chance to lock horns once again. And we will all lock horns.

The schools, the NCAA and some in the local press don’t get it. That’s why they want to call it a Border Showdown, like it was a lone gun battle at dawn. It is bigger than that. And it matters to people.

It matters enough that shirts have been made supporting both teams that invoke century and a half old wounds. It matters enough that Kay Barnes got lit up on Tiger Boards for backing KU while running for office in Missouri. It matters enough that a feeling of unrest is in the air, four days away.

It is likely that the College Gameday broadcast and the national broadcast of the game will allude to the border war aspect. The Source doubts they will be able to convey it to the average American. But we get it. It matters.